Battlefield reopens

9:44 AM,
Oct. 18, 2013

Park Ranger John McKay shows Jaxon Flowers, 4, how to earn a badge as part of the Junior Rangers program at the Stones River National Battlefield visitors center. Charlie Feuerbacher, Jaxon's grandfather, listens in.

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Rutherford County's No. 1 tourism site reopened Thursday after a 16-day shutdown of the federal government.

The Stones River National Battlefield, part of the National Park Service, hosts about 240,000 visitors annually or a little more than 660 per day. The battlefield is open from 8 a.m. to 5 p.m. 363 days a year, closing only for Thanksgiving and Christmas.

Based on those numbers, the site could have missed out on as many as 10,500 visitors, including school groups that had trips scheduled. ...